It has long been recognized that the preparation of the beard, or other body hair, for shaving by the application of lathering soap with a brush or a shaving cream rubbed on the skin is expensive and time consuming. Accordingly, it has been proposed that safety razors be provided with various types of lather-applying devices to eliminate the need for the usual beard-conditioning, lather-applying steps prior to shaving. In many instances, these devices have included means for maintaining a supply of lather-applying solution in the handle of the razor and dispensing the lathering material to the skin either prior to or with the shaving strokes of the razor. One such lather-dispensing apparatus is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,404 and includes a foam rubber pad extending outwardly from beneath the cutting edge of the blade and being communicatively connected with a prewetting agent in the handle of the razor.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,677,883 and 2,861,338 disclose razor attachments which include rubber rolls carried by the razor and in advance of the cutting edge of the blade for receiving and applying skin moisturizing lather and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,437 discloses a shaving moisturizer attachment for a razor in which a triangular shaped sponge bar is adjustably supported by the razor for engagement with the skin to apply cream lather or the like to the skin. However, it is to be noted that the lather-applying devices of each of these patents require complicated mounting arrangements and the devices must be supplied with shaving preparations and be properly adjusted, relative to the shaving blade, in order to provide the proper type of lubricant application.
A particular type of shaving composition is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,293. According to this patent the composition may be molded in a variety of different solid forms and is disclosed in one form as being attached to the razor guard of the head of a safety razor. However, the rapid wear rate of this composition prohibits a desirable extended useful life per volume of composition and is therefore considered inadequate as a practical shaving system.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,429 discloses an attachment for a safety razor in which a soap cake is supported in advance of the cutting blade for applying a lubricating emulsion to the skin during the shaving operation. However, the use of this type of lather-applying device requires constant attention to and adjustment of the soap cake so that the lubricating emulsion is properly applied to the shaving surface.